compound
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Anything made by combining several things.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahmpowndSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑmpaʊnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Composed of more than one part
“Compound leaves are composed of several lobes.”
Composed of elements; not simple.
noun
Anything made by combining several things.
A group of buildings situated close together, e.g. for a school or block of offices.
chemistry
A whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
chemistry
A substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight
An enclosure within which workers, prisoners, or soldiers are confined.
An enclosure for secure storage.
verb
transitive
To form (a resulting mixture) by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts; to mingle with something else.
Calculate principal and interest
transitive
To settle amicably; to adjust by agreement.
intransitive
To come to terms of agreement; to settle by a compromise.
transitivesee usage notes
To worsen a situation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Composed of more than one part
Used this way, compound is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Compound leaves are composed of several lobes.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of combining things to form a new whole.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A fraction with fractions in the numerator or denominator.
Bone fracture associated with lacerated soft tissue or an open wound.
Interest calculated on both the principal and the accrued interest.
A leaf composed of a number of leaflets on a common stalk.
A lens system consisting of two or more lenses on the same axis.
A pair of levers hinged at the fulcrum.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A leaf having divisions that are themselves compound.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “compound” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary from meanings, examples and other prompts.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.